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Roosters, reserves crop up at political forum

Andy Duyck wants to tackle the issues of mental health, school overcrowding, transportation and social services in a second term as Washington County chairman.

Our county is economically strong, but we have problems, the veteran politician told a group of 70 people during a candidates forum at Pacific University Monday night. Id like to keep things going in the right direction.

Duycks challenger, Allen Amabisca, said he would invest in communities and families by building safe roads and sidewalks if voters elect him chairman of the Washington County Board of Commissioners May 20.

The incumbent chairman, he said, has mismanaged the land use process and wants to build an events center at the Washington County Fair Complex on the backs of school children.

Sponsored by Pacifics Tom McCall Center for Policy Innovation, Pamplin Media Group and the Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce, the session also featured District 4 Commissioner Bob Terry, whos seeking a second term, and his challenger, former Congresswoman Elizabeth Furse.

I began to really feel there was something wrong in Washington County, Furse said of her reason for jumping into the race. And I started to think that two of the biggest problems were Andy and Bob.

Terry countered that the current commission has a pretty good track record, committing 22 percent of its budget to social services and 25 percent to transportation while overseeing dramatic economic growth.

Why would you want to change that? he asked.

Questions from the audience ranged from rules about roosters to the outcome of a lengthy process designed to create urban-rural land reserves across the county, home to more than 547,000 residents.

I have absolutely no opinion about roosters, said Furse, who represented Oregons 1st District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 1999, drawing laughter from the crowd in Marsh Hall.

Still reeling from Februarys passage of House Bill 4078  also known as the grand bargain, which expanded the Urban Growth Boundary and established new urban and rural reserves in Washington County  Terry argued the Legislature effectively discarded 50 years of certainty for landowners and developers.

Duyck seemed similarly disillusioned by the need to have state lawmakers come up with a remedy after a court held up years of planning earlier this year.

We gave this issue thousands of hours of consideration, he said, referring to commissioners in Washington, Multnomah and Clackamas counties and the Metro council. In the end we had to rely on the state to fix things.

While he fully supported the grand bargain, Duyck said, the position we were forced into did not include all views.

Furse said the bargain saved a lot of money in the end. Amabisca said that while going to the Oregon Legislature was not a good solution to the urban-rural reserves matter, lawmakers were attempting to save Washington County from its own leadership.

One attendee wanted to know how the candidates thought the county would look 20 years or a century from now.

There will be a building up, not out, predicted Amabisca, citing the multi-use development at 4th Avenue and Main Street in Hillsboro as an example. People want to live, work and play in the same general area.

Terry thought the commission might very well try again to find a way to strike a balance between urban and rural land interests. He said looking at our water situation  where its going to come from is another priority.

My crystal ball doesnt go out 100 years, joked Duyck, but in the future we will have a new model for running local government, particularly as it pertains to providing services outside city boundaries.

Amabisca advocated for the creation of good-paying jobs and supporting the social services safety net, while Furse focused on low-cost housing.

When you think about it, affordable housing is really one of the best jobs programs there is, she said. We need to make sure our citizens arent sleeping on the streets.

Openness and trust were popular themes during the debate.

Id like to see an open flow of communication, said Amabisca, a former Intel manager, who added hed use citizen advisory groups and entertain all viewpoints to obtain ideas.

If I make a promise, I want to be able to say what the tradeoff is, said Duyck, who stressed his experience running a $750 million corporation  the county  as evidence of his effectiveness as county chairman.

Id like to see an open, transparent government, said Furse. I will listen and take heed.

For Terry, one of Oregons hottest local political races comes down to a single word: performance.

Four years ago, I wanted to straighten out land use and transportation issues. Your commissioners have made great strides, he told the group. Why would you want to fix something that isnt broken?